Method of and apparatus for handling hot metal bars



J. R. GEORGE Dec. 21, 1937.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING HO T METAL BARS Filed May 18, 1928 6 Sheets- Sheet l J. R. GEORGE Dec. 21, 1937.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING HOT METAL BARS A 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1928 "7224/2010: k/E %!5 6650/2265 a wy J. R. GEORGE Dec. 21, 1937.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING HOT METAL BARS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 18, 1928 @Mwwa Dec. 21, 1937.

J. R. GEORGE 2,102,792

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING HOT METAL B'ARS Filed May 18, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 J. R. GEORGE Dec. 21, 1937.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING HOT METAL BARS Filed May 18, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 J R. GEORGE Dec. 21, 1937.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS vF'OR HANDLING HOT METAL BAR S Filed May 18, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Jule/Mot C/EEOME EGEaeae:

Patented Dec. 21, i937 A I 2,102,7 92

UNITED STATES PATVENT OFFICE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HAN- DLING HOT METAL BARS Jerome it. George, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Morgan Construction Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 18, 1928, Serial No. 278,732

' 24 Claims. (Cl. 80-42) v The present invention relates generally to the Fig 6 is a view in side elevation of the packhandling of hot metal bars. as delivered from a forming instrumentalities.

rolling mill. More particularly, the invention Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view, illustrating resides in certain improvements upon existing the pack-receiving table or plate in its relation methods of handling relatively thin flat rolled to the pack-ma n d nec -d scha gin 6 stock, for example, material known as spring vi es. flats as used in the manufacture of springs. As Flg-, 7a is a fragmentary Sectional V w n he is well known, such material ordinarily requires ne Tit-1e o F annealing, and it is advantageous to secure this E 10 d 1 are fragmentary Views, 10 annealing, during cooling, by the pack method", partly diagrammatic, illustrating successive steps 10 i. e., with the pieces assembled face to face in a n t e Operation of removing discharging t pack or pile to so retard their cooling that the foremost piece from the pack. desired annealing is secured, after. which the Fig. 12 is a'large Sc n ary sectio l pieces are handled separately. View on the line l2l2 of Fig. 6. 15 According t t present invention, thi pack- Like reference characters refer to like parts 15 ing is secured in an improved manner, which in the different figures. necessitates for its accomplishment no inter Referring fi s to s- 1 and I ve d ruption to the forward travel of th pi ces as cated at I, l a series of conveyor rollers constithey are delivered from the mill; furthermore, tuting a part of the run-out table from a rolling once the pack has been for d t the d i d mill whose final stand of reducing rolls is indio thickness, provision is made for the uniform cated at 2,it being unde that the p y maintenance thereof and the subjection of each moving hOt metal p t o Pieces Of piece to the same annealing effect by procuring, pp p e lengths by a Shear. as indicated at each addition of a fresh piece to the rear of diagrammat al y at 11, s r d f rward on the pack, the removal of the foremost pie at these rollers l, I and on other subsequent rollers 25 the front of the pack. The mechanism by which r nv in m ans towa d the r ceivin devices the annealed pieces are thus individually (115- that constituteits ultimate destination,here becharged from the pack is readily adjustabl t ing shown as the two cooling beds 3, 3. Inasmuch stock of varying width and thickness, as ar al o ,as these receiving devices are provided in duplithe pack-forming'and pack-maintaining t r cate, arrangement is made for selectively direct- 30 mentalities. Furthermore, provision is made in ing the stock, as carried forward on the conv y connection with this. discharge mechanism for derollers o either o sa d e v g d v c positing each individual piece, flatwise, on a cool- 85 h Shown, a Switch Operable y y h ing bed or other broadside conveying means, so able means such as a steam cylinder and piston that the individual annealed pieces can thereafter u t 5 is adapted t b dispos d, wh n d sir be operated upon in any way s either in its full or in its broken line position, Other objects and advantages of my invention thereby to direct t e Stock for its conare fully set forth in th f ll detailed 1 tinued forward movement either onto a set of scription thereof, reference .being had i t conveyor rollers 6, 6 or onto a parallel set of connection to the accompanying drawings, conveyor rollers 53 40 I whereina As shown clearly in Figs. 1, 1a, 2 and 3, suitable Figs. 1 and la (the latter a continuation of the driving means Such as motors are P forhier) illustrate diagrammatically, in plan view, vided for the set of I and for the apparatus by which the successive'pieces of sets of rollers 6 and 6 6 I the arrangement 22 13523 1331? 3 if gaggi g: 255 13 named sets of rollers, that each motor serves for warped or tipped into an inclined position as a g one g {a thghflatwise premium to mungfr ghtenin r t are t iiii ifeitiidiciifi isostati is sued m it taken res cave] n th 2 H e g the spaces between adjacentrollers, by the rela- 4 0 e mes 4-! tively wide troughs 8 in the case of the rollers I, a a and b-- bof Figs. 1 and la. and by the relatively narrow troughs 9 in the Fig. 5 1s a fragmentary large scale plan view case of the rollers 6 and 8'.

Cir

preferably being such, in respect of the lastof the pack-forming instrumentalities. The invention contemplates the packing or stacking of the pieces in face-to-face contact, on a bed or table engaged by the edges of said pieces, and to facilitate this last, it is proposed, during the continued forward movement of each piece of stock, to warp or twist the latter graduall from its fiatwise delivery position into the desired inclined position so that when delivered or projected onto the pack or stack, it will already have been turned, throughout its entire length, into substantially the requisite angle from the horizontal. For example, beyond the sets of conveyor rollers 6, 6 and 6, 6 are placed the several sets of motor-driven alined frusto-conical conveyor Tellers an, I0, ll, H, l2, l2 and l0, M, II, II and l2, l2, these gradually increasing in the steepness or pitch of their stock conveying surfaces. As shown in Figs. 4, 4a and 4b, the guide troughs 3, |3a and B11, associated respectively with these frusto-conical conveyor rollers, are correspondingly of steeper and steeper slope, with the result that each piece of forwardly moving stock is gradually warped more and more from a horizontal fiatwise position as it travels on these rollers and through these troughs. Said stock thus emerges therefrom tippededgewise at an angle of substantially 35, and this relation is maintained in suitable guide channels l4, l4, best shown in Fig. 5, associated with the receiving guides |5, |5. These direct the stock topooperating pairs of pinch rolls l6, l6, beyond which are the fixed delivery guides I5a, I5a. Said pinch rolls l6, l6 have their axes set at the inclinations necessary to maintain the slanted position of the pieces, and they serve to give said pieces, successively, the necessary forward impetus to project them clear through and beyond the hollow guide arms or troughs I1, I! that are placed to receive the stock from the guides l5a. Each hollow arm or trough H is arranged for packforming operation at the receiving end of an elongated inclined hot bed or packing table l8, best shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 12, and the mechanism for forming a pack or stack of pieces on one of these tables l8, having its surface at substantially 35 from the horizontal, is as follows:-

. Each arm or trough I1 is pivoted at its rear end on an axis inclined to the vertical, as shown at l9, l9, Figs. 5 and 6, the inclination being such that the arm or trough will swing in a plane substantially parallel to the supporting surface of inclined plate l8. 'Regardless of the angular adjustment of arm or trough its rear end is always maintained in position to receive the stock from the pinch rolls l6, l6, because it is pivoted at said rear end; said angular adjustment, as will now be described, serves, during the formation of the pack, to gradually elevate the front or delivery end of the arm or trough l1, thereby to secure the edgewise projection of successive pieces onto the plate l8, one above the other.

As shown, each arm or trough I1 is pivotally connected by a link 20 to a, bell crank lever 2|, the latter being fulcrumed, as shown at 22, on an axis having substantially the same inclination as the axis l9 of the arm. A rod 23 connects the bell crank 2| to a rocker arm 24, whose shaft 25 is here shown as having a worm and worm gear drive 25 from a vertical shaft 21, the latter being equipped with a hand wheel 28 in convenient reach of the operator. For the commencement of the pack-forming operation on plate l8, the hand wheel 28 is so adjusted as to swing the arm or trough about its p vot I! in a downwarddirection, such that the delivery end of said arm or trough lies close to the lower longitudinal edge of plate H3; in this position, the first piece of stock projected through said arm or trough H by the pinch rolls l5, l6 runs out longitudinally, substantially on edge and substantially parallel to this lower edge of plate or bed l8. Along said lower edge, the apparatus provides the alined stop surfaces 29, 29, projecting above the supporting surface of bed or table l8 and in a plane substantially at right angles to said surface, and said first-delivered piece of stock comes to rest with its lower face bearing against said stop surfaces 29, ,29. The latter, constituting simply a stationary abutment along the lower edge of the bed or table l8, may be formed in any suitable or desired manner; as here shown, said stop surfaces are provided by the rearward extensions of a plurality of stationary members 30, 30 which are attached by bolts 59, 59 to the several stationary skids 62, 62 of cooling bed 3; as subsequent pieces of stock are similarly delivered, the hand wheel 28 is turned to gradually elevate the delivery end of arm or trough so that each succeeding piece will overlie the preceding one, to form ultimately on the plate la a pack or stack of superposed pieces, as shown in section by the broken lines a, a, Fig. '7. It is to be understood,

of course, that in practice a single upward adjustment of arm or trough H by hand wheel 28 may be of sufiicient magnitude to take care of the laying, in pack formation, of more than one of the successively projected pieces of stock, since my invention is not in any way limited to the need for elevating the arm or trough l'| after each piece of stock so laid.

As best shown in Fig. 7, provision is made for insuring the orderly deposit on plate l8 of the pieces of stock that constitute the pack through the use of a series of overlying adjustable members 3|, 3|, that extend transversely of the length of the pack, at appropriate intervals. These members 3| have their under surfaces bevelled, as shown at 3|a, Fig. 7a, and in opposed relation to the upper edges of the pieces of stock as the latter are projected, as above described, onto the plate I8, and thus said members 3| serve as guiding and confining means to effectually overcome the tendency of any of the successively delivered pieces to be deflected away from edgewise contact with the plate. |8 or from face or surface contact with the preceding piece in the pack. The overlying members 3|, 3| are also capable of adjustment within suitable limits, not only to accommodate themselves, by their spacing from the plate l8, to the packing of different widths of bars, but also to accommodate themselves, in connection with the bar-discharging devices hereinafter described, to bars of different thicknesses.

As shown in Fig. 7, each set of members 3| 3| is supported, in overhanging relation to the plate I 8, from a pair of bell cranks 32 and 33, having a common pivotal center 34 that is provided by the fixed framework 35. The short arm 36 of bell crank 32 is pivotally connected to the member 3| at 31, but the rocking of member 3| about this pivotal center 31 is limited by a link connection 38 between said member 3| and the short arm 39 of bell crank 33. Said link 38 is pivoted at 40 to said short arm 39 and at its other end provides an elongated slot 4| through 'which passes a pin 42 on member 3|.

The bell cranks 32 and 3,3 terminate in handles 43 and. 44 respectively, by which they may be swung, to adjust the members 3 carried as above whereby theymay be secured in any desired. position of adiustmenhto a fixed plate 45. As

shown in Fig. '7 for purposes of illustration merely, the handle 43 on the right-hand side has been swung outwardly through a larger arc than the left-hand handle 43, thereby retracting righthand member 3| to leave a greater space between its free end and the alined stop surfaces 29, 29 than exists at the left-hand side of Fig. 7; this difference in spacing represents approximately the difference in thickness between one of the right-hand packed bars a on the one hand, and one of the left-hand packed bars a. on the other hand.- In practice, ofcourse, this difference would not exist at one and the same time. Similarly, in Fig. 7, to show how the apparatus can take care of the illustrated difference in width between the bars a and a, the right-hand han- .dle 44 has been thrown nearer to the vertical than the left-hand handle 44, thereby, through link 33, to rock the right-hand members 3| about pivotal center 31 farther away from plate l8- and it will be understood that this method of mounting the overhanging members 3|, 3| permits of such spacings from the table l8 and from the end-stops 29, 29, respectively, as to adapt the apparatus to the packing and handling of stock that varies greatly in width and in thickness.

The ofliceof the thickness adjustment provided for the overhanging members 3|, 3| is clearly shown in the diagrams of Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11. In these figures, the extreme end'of member 3| overhangs the upper edge of the next lowest bar in the pack, but does not reach to the lowest bar, which latter must be left free for withdrawal in the manner now to be described. Said lowest bar, as shown, rests with its outer face against the row of end-stops 29, 2 9 and it is supported edgewise by the row of ledges 36a, 39a which are provided at the lower edge of plate 18 by the said members 39, 30. After the pack has been built up to the desired thickness or height, the arrival of each fresh piece of stock thereon must be accompanied by the delivery, from the pack, of its lowermost piece, in order that uniformity in the pack-annealing process shall prevail. To accomplish such delivery, a plurality of slides 46, 46, suitably spaced between the stationary end-stops 29, 29, are provided, these slides being operable in unison through their connection, bystraps on the eccentrics 41, 41, to a driving shaft- 48. The slides 46 at their outer ends are supported on rollers 49, the contact of said rollers,

beingwith suitably shaped cam surfaces 50, 50 formed on said slides.

In their normal retracted or rest position, said slides 46, 46 present an alined row of notches 5|, 5| in staggered relation to and underlying the supporting ledges 30a, 39a. of the end-stops 29. With the delivery of each new piece to the completed pack, the shaft 48 is given one complete revolution, being connected for this purpose to any suitable driving mechanism, not shown. Such single revolution of shaft 48, through eccentrics 41, imparts an outward and a return movement to all the slides 46 in unison, and, due to the shape of each cam surface 50, bearing against supporting roller 49, the path of movement of each notch 5| is substantially that indi-, cated by the arrows on Fig. 8.

At the commencement of this motion, the

,alined notches 5|, 5| move up from their rest position of Fig. 8 and engage that edge of the lowermost piece which rests on the ledges 39a of end-stops 29, so as to lift said lowermost piece off of said ledges 30a and toslide its face along the end-stops 29, as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10. This action takes place without interference from the overhanging members 3|, 3|, since .the ends of the latter, as previously stated, areadjusted to terminate just short of the foremost piece of the pack. As shown in Fig. 10, the foremost piece has been moved far enough to. clear'the effective surface of the end-stops 29, and from this position said piece must continue .to be moved upwardly until its lower edge, sustained on the row of notches 5|, 5|, is carried over the raised tips 52, 52 of the stationary members 39, 36. As shown in Fig. 10, the piece at this stage of its removal can either maintain its parallelism with the superposed pieces of the pack, or it can tip, having cleared the effective surface of end-stops 29, 29, into surface contact with the portions 53 of members 46 that lie beyond the notches 5|. In any event, as the notches 5|, 5| move further upwardly, along the path depicted by the arrows in Fig. 8, said piece undergoing removal ultimately finds its entire support on the slides 46, 46, with its lower edge in the notches 5|, 5| and with its surface against the portions 53, 53 of said slides 46, 46. In this position, said piece undergoingremoval, as shown in Fig. 11, is carried clear of the raised tips 52, 52 of the stationary cooling'bed extensions 39, 39 and is finally deposited ongthe top surface of the cooling bed 3 as the slides 46, 46 embark upon the return portion of their path of movement, indicated by the arrows-"in'Fig, 8. These raised'tips 52, 52

effectually pre'vent any retrograde movement of the piece of stock so deposited on the stationary cooling bed members 62,- 62.

Itwill' be understood that each piece of stock so deposited onthe cooling bed 3 thereafter comes under the influencejof any suitable broadside transfer devices associated with said cooling bed, which devices are operated, in a manner well known in the art, to procure the movement of each individual piece-across said bed, thereby making room for the deposit, as shown in Fig. 11,

.|8, as shown in Fig. 12, is preferably formed in a plurality of sections 54, 54 that provide transverse -spaced ridges 55, 55 for contact'with the edges of the pieces of sto'c'lnand between'these ridges the elongated depressions 55. 55. In this way, air is permitted tocirculate upwardly in a plurality of currents across the face of the table l8, eachcurrent passingunder the edges of the pieces of "stock where said edges oyerlie the de pressions 56, 56; this prolongs the life of the table Hi and prevents its surface from being warped by the excessive heat conducted and radiated from the packed material. By thus introducing currents of'air beneath the lower edges of the packed pieces of stock, said lower edges are cooled at substantially the same rate as the upper edges of said packed pieces, thereby preventing the cambering of the stock that might result from unequal cooling along its edges.

Also, as best disclosed in Fig. 6, the contact ridges 55 of the table l8 are preferably arranged diagonally, so that each piece of stock in the pack, as it gradually moves forward, owing to suecessive withdrawals of the pieces arriving against the stop surfaces 29, 29 as above described, has constantly changing points of contact with the table l8, and thus any hardening in spots, due to prolonged contact with the table of one or more points or spots, is effectually prevented. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 12, the spaces or expansion joints between the table sections 54, 54 are preferably bridged by plates 51, to prevent undue impingement of cold air on the portions of the packed stock immediately overlying said spaces.

The operation of my improved apparatus, as above described, is such that full advantage is taken of the force of gravity in the maintenance of straight sides or edges in the pieces of stock being handled,the latter, for the entire duration of the annealing process, being support ed edgewise on the table 18. Not only that, but due to the inclination of said table, gravity acts to move the pieces step-by-step downwardly on said table, as each successive lowermost piece is removed from the bottom of the pack, and gravity also acts to keep the packed pieces close enough together, sidewise, to prevent any oxidation on their flat surfaces,--oxidation being limited to the edgesi Once a pack has been formed, it is maintained at the desired thickness on table l8 by withdrawing a piece from the front as each fresh piece is added to the rear, and this, of course, involves the projection of all succeeding or following pieces onto the upper part of said table at about the same level,

thus subjecting the surface of said table, at said level, to considerable wear. It is therefore desirable as shown in Fig. 7, tomake the upper portion of table l8 in the form of a detachable and replaceable chilled iron member 58, adapted to better resist said wear and also to permit renewal whenever desired.

Provision is also made, as shown in Fig. 8, for lining up the row of supporting ledges 30a, 30a provided by the members 30, 30 that bridge the gap' between the lower edge of table l8 and the stationary skids 62, 62 of the cooling bed. As shown, each connecting member or extension 30 is bolted at 59 to the adjoining member 62, and the two parts thus connected are adjustable horizontally in unison by means of a pair of adjusting screws 60, 60 carried by the stationary framework and bearing on opposite sides of an extension 6| depending from said connected members. Inasmuch as the opposing ends of table l8 and skids 30 are supported so as to be freely movable within certain limits, this adjustment allows all the stop surfaces 29, 29 to be brought into aline .nent.

These stop surfaces 29, 29 contact with the bottom piece of stock in the pack for slightly more than half of its width, as shown in Fig. 11, and from that point on each surface is cut back toward the raised tip 52 in order to reduce as much as possible the length of the substantially elliptical path of the movable notches 5|, 5|, which path is shown by the arrows in Fig. 8; this construction allows prompt separation of the lowermost piece of stock from the pieces immediately above it.

cleaves 2. In the handling of hot' metal bars, as delivered longitudinally, flatwise, from a rolling mill, the improvement which consists in gradually warping each bar, by continuance of its forward movement, into a position of partialedgewise support, and projecting it in that condition onto an inclined supporting surface.

3. In the handling of hot metal bars, as delivered longitudinally, flatwise, from a rolling mill, the improvement which consists in gradually warping said bars, by continuance of their forward movement, from a condition of flatwise support into a condition of partial edgewise support, and projecting said bars longitudinally edgewise onto an inclined supporting surface, in face-to-face contact.

4. In the handling of hot metal bars, supported flatwise and delivered successively, longitudinally, from a rolling mill, the improvement which consists in procuring, by the continued forward movement of each bar, its gradual lateral warping to a condition of partial edgewise support, and projecting edgewise the successive bars so supported onto an inclined supporting surface one against the other in pack formation, with the foremost bar of said pack in surface contact with a plurality of fixed stops.

5. In apparatus of the class described, conveying means for the longitudinal movement, flatwise, of successively delivered bars, a support whereon to receive said bars edgewise, in pack formation, and interposed means for procuring by the continued longitudinal movement of said bars, their warping into a condition of partial edgewise support.

6. In apparatus of the class described, conveying means for the longitudinal movement, flatwise, of successively delivered bars, means for procuringf by the continued longitudinal movement of said bars; their warping into a condition of partial edgewise support, an inclined table for the reception of-said bars in pack formation, and means for projecting the so-warped bars longitudinally edgewise onto said table.

'7. In apparatus of the class described, an inclined support whereon to receive bars in pack formation, resting edgewise on said support, means for projecting successively delivered bars longitudinally onto said support, and means for elevating the delivery end of said projecting means to procure the deposit of each bar against the one preceding.

8. In the assemblage of successively delivered metal bars in pack formation, the improvement which consists in projecting successive bars longitudinally onto a support, in edgewise contact therewith, and shifting periodically the line of projection of said bars to procure their face-toface contact with each other.

9. In the assemblage of successively delivered metal bars in pack formation, the improvementwhich consists in projecting successive bars longitudinally onto an inclined supporting surface, in edgewise contact therewith, and elevating the line of projection of succeeding bars over those preceding, in order to build them up, one against the other, on said support.

10. In apparatus of the class described, a support whereon to assemble successively delivered bars in pack formation, means for longitudinally projecting said bars onto said support, in edgewise contact therewith, and adjustable means on the delivery side of said projecting means to shift the line of projection of said bars.

11. In apparatus of the class described, a support whereon to assemble successively delivered bars in pack formation, means for longitudinally projecting said bars onto said support, and a guide device for said bars on the delivery side of said projecting means with the entrance end of said guide device in the line of projection from said projecting means, and with the other end of said guide device shiftable, to direct said bars to different locations on said support.

12. In apparatus of the class described, a support whereon to assemble successively delivered bars in pack formation, means for longitudinally projecting said bars onto said support, in edgewise contact therewith, and a guide arm with its entrance end in the line of projection from said projecting means, said guide arm being pivoted at said entrance end, to permit the sweep of its other end across the width of said support.

13. In apparatus of the class described, a table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means for delivering bars longitudinally to said table, and means overlying said 'table to guide and controlthe movements of said bars in the process of forming said pack.

14. In apparatus of the class described, a table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means for delivering bars longitudinally to said table, and means overlying said table to guide and control the movements of said bars in the process of forming said pack, said means being.

adjustable to conform to the width of the bars being packed.

15. In apparatus of the class described, a table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means for removing successively, each foremost bar of said pack, and means for preventing displacement of other bars in said pack during the operation of said removing means on the foremost bar.

16. In apparatus of the class described, a table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means operable on the foremost bar of said pack to remove the same, and devices engaged with the upper edges of other bars in said pack to prevent their displacement when the foremost bar is removed, said devices being adjustable to conform to the thickness of the bar stock.

17. In apparatus of the class described, a table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means operable on the foremostbar of said pack to remove the same, and devices engaged with the upper edges of other bars in said pack to prevent their displacement when the foremost bar is removed, said devicesbeing adjustable to conform to the thickness of the bar stock, and means for fixing said devices in a position of adjustment that permits removal only of the foremost bar.

18. In apparatus of the class described, an inclined table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means for delivering bars longitudinally to said table, and means overlying said table to guide and control the movements of said bars in the process of adding bars to and discharging bars from said pack, said means being adjustable to conform to the thickness of an individual bar.

19 In apparatus of the class described, an inclined table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means for delivering bars longitudinally to said table, and means overlying said table to guide and control the movements of said bars in the process of adding bars to and discharging bars from said pack, said meansbeing adjustable to conform to the width of an individual bar.

20. In apparatus of the class described, an inclined table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means for delivering bars longitudinallyto said table, and means overlying said table to guide and control the movements of said bars in the process of adding bars to and discharging bars from said pack, said means being adjustable to conform to the width and thickness of an individual bar.

21. In apparatus of the class described, a table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means operable on the foremost bar of said pack to remove the same, and devices engaged with the upper edges of other bars in said pack to prevent their displacement when the foremost bar is removed, said devices being adjustable to conform to the thickness and width of the bar stock, and means for fixing said devices in a position of adjustment that permits removal only of the foremost bar.

22. In apparatus of the class described, an in,- clined table for the support, on edge, of bars in pack formation, means operable to remove bars successively from the front of said pack, whereby each bar moves step-by-step across said table, the latter having spaced transverse contact ridges whereon rest the edges of said bars, with said ,ridges extending diagonally, whereby movement of each bar brings a fresh edge surface into conto said table in edgewise contact therewith, said bars accumulating side'by side thereon to form a pack, and means for withdrawing a bar from the front of said pack for each bar thereafter added to the rear of said pack, the surface of said table being renewable in the zone where bars are added to the rear of said pack.

24. In apparatus of the class described, aninclined table for the support on edge of bars in pack formation, a cooling bed adjacent to the lower edge'of said table, means operable on successive foremost bars of said pack to deposit them on the stationary skids of said cooling bed, and adjustable means carried by the ends of said stationary skids, for surface contact with the foremost bar of said pack, to resist the gravitational descent of said pack on said table.

JEROME R. GEORGE. 

